Amazon.com turns the page to Kindle 2

Online retail giant Amazon.com introduced Kindle 2, a revamped edition of its network-enabled e-reader device promising a new slim design with extended battery life, faster page turns, seven times more storage, sharper images and a new read-to-me feature. According to Amazon, the Kindle 2's six-inch, 600 x 800 electronic paper display offers 16 shades of gray, compared to just four shades available in the original Kindle, translating to crisper text and clearer images and photos--the device is 0.36 inches thick and weighs about 10 ounces. New features include the text-to-speech "read-to-me" feature, which converts printed text to spoken-word audio; a five-way controller allowing for more precise note-taking and highlighting; and more efficient transitions between articles and sections of newspapers. In addition, Kindle 2 arrives embedded with the New Oxford American Dictionary, boasting 250,000 built-in definitions.

Amazon.com notes that more than 230,000 books are now available from the Kindle Store, including 103 of 110 current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases--the e-tailer also announced that author Stephen King will release a novella, titled Ur, that will be exclusively available on Kindle. The storefront also offers a number of U.S. and international magazines and newspapers as well as more than 1,200 different blogs. The Kindle 2 features 2 GB of memory, which means the device can store up to 1,500 books--its original incarnation had room for only 200. Content is delivered to the device via Whispernet, which utilizes Amazon's optimized technology in combination with Sprint's national 3G data network.

Last week, Amazon.com told the New York Times it is planning to extend Kindle services to the wider mobile platform, distributing digital titles to various handsets and platforms. "We are excited to make Kindle books available on a range of mobile phones," Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener told the NYT. "We are working on that now." Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney recently crunched the numbers on the first-edition Kindle, and estimates Amazon sold 500,000 units last year based on a filing by Sprint. Calling the Oprah-endorsed device "the iPod of the Book World," Mahaney forecasts the Kindle will become a $1.2 billion business by 2010, assuming adoption will increase at a pace similar to the growth experienced by Apple's iconic music player and that consumers will purchase at least one e-book download per month.

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